Aluminum and pool fences in Ocala

Black aluminum picket fencing is what you see around a lot of Ocala pools and front yards: it marks the line, keeps the view open, and doesn't rust the way steel does. When the fence also serves as a pool barrier, Florida law decides several details before style comes into it.

Florida's pool barrier rules

Section 515.29 of the Florida Statutes sets the residential pool barrier requirements. In plain terms:

• The barrier is at least 4 feet high, measured on the outside.
• No gaps, openings or footholds that would let a young child get under, through or over it.
• Gates swing outward, away from the water, and shut and latch without help.
• The latch release sits on the pool side, where a small child can't reach it over the top or through a gap.
• The barrier stands far enough from the water's edge that a child who gets through doesn't fall straight in.

The statute itself gives no single number for gaps or the distance from the water, so ask what the specific product and your inspector expect. Pool barriers usually still need a permit even where an ordinary fence wouldn't: the City of Naples, for example, lists pool barriers and fences among items not eligible for the state's new under-$7,500 permit exemption. In Ocala, check with the building office.

Cost

Angi's national range for aluminum is $17 to $90 per linear foot, the widest of any common fence material, because residential picket panels and heavy ornamental styles both fall under the same name. Self-closing hinges and pool-grade latches add to each gate.

Front-yard aluminum

Low aluminum or picket fencing suits the older streets near downtown and the historic districts, where solid privacy fences can feel out of place. Remember that any fence inside an Ocala historic district needs a permit. Details on the permits page.